The University of Southern Oregon is fresh off an NAIA National Championship.Coach Fisk decided to tweak his circuit drills- surprisingly after scoring 45.7 points per game- and he presents the circuits he uses to teach first level blocking, second level blocking and pass protection including coaching points and video. Go here to read Coach Fisk’s exclusive clinic report.

National championships are won one yard at a time. Here at Southern Oregon, we believe that each of those yards is hard won as a result of detailed technical drills. Over the past 3 years, we have averaged over 4.5 yards per play and less than one sack per game. This consistency and production is a direct result of the detailed focus we take into our drills. In this clinic report, we will look at four drill circuits that have been and will be critical to our success.

Before we get into the drills, it is worth mentioning that these drills reflect the rules that we expect our linemen to live by. Those rules include:

No one touches our QB! (From 2012 – 2014, we only gave up 1 sack for every 30 passing attempts.)

Be smart!

Bet the best!

Out-hustle everyone!

Do it the SOU way!

Block through the echo of the whistle and FINISH the play!

Each of these drills is done EVERYDAY in the spring, summer, and preseason. From there, we will do some every day and others every other day through the season. We believe these are the cornerstones to what has made us effective in all parts of our blocking game.

Circuit #1: Agility Circuit

Be great in space.

We do these because we do a lot of screens. This is done every day in the summer and every other day in the season. These skills are essential to the success with our screens.

Drill 1: Angle Cuts (cones)

We treat this like WRs. Toe in at the top of the cone and toe out with of the inside foot at the next cone. Chin over chest and chest over knees.

Drill 2: Fast Feet (cones)

We are trying to get our guys to lower their center of gravity with their chin over chest and chest over knees. This allows them to change their direction in space.

Drill 3: You Chop, I Chop (line)

This teaches our guys to identify the target, and when the target converts to a chop, they need to chop. This is a concept that we got from our special teams drills and we think it connects well to what linemen do in space.

Drill 4: Mirror Drill (line)

This is a sprint out drill. We teach our guys that they must mirror the guy they are blocking. If he is sprinting, then our guys need to sprint. If he chops, our guy needs to be chopping. If they break down, then we break down.

Drill 5: 4 Corner Drill (cones)

Basic old school agility drills. Every kid on our team back-pedals every day for the posterior chain benefit in addition to general athletic development.

To see the video of this circuit, click on the video below:

Circuits #2, #3 and #4…

Join X&O Labs’ Insiders (an exclusive membership-based website) and get the full-length version of this clinic report – including drill video. Here’s just a short list of what Coach Fisk reveals in this detailed report…

The circuit training drills that Coach Fisk uses to teach his base block technique, including his demeanor drill, two step rhythm and strike drill, two step medicine ball strike drill, and fit and finish drill.

The circuit training drills that Coach Fisk uses to teach his offensive linemen to block second level players, including his Crowther Drill and chute drill progression.

The circuit training drills that Coach Fisk uses to teach his offensive linemen how to vertical set in pass protection, including his boxer drill, down the line drill, bag set drill, mirror dodge drill and kick and jam drill.

Over 8,000 high school, college and NFL coaches are active members of X&O Labs’ Insiders. We invite you to join them…

Editor’s Note: XandOLabs.com just completed its study on “Developing the Hands and Feet of Offensive Lineman in Man Pass Protection,” which includes 44 every day drills used by programs such as Penn State University, East Carolina University, Western Michigan University and Ball State University. Our entire study on this topic can be accessed here.

Conclusion:

Using circuit training has consistently been a productive method of teaching because it enables coaches to teach every player the same techniques in an efficient matter of time. We use these circuits daily to enforce the proper offensive line techniques in our run and pass schemes.

Meet Coach Fisk: Chris Fisk joined the Southern Oregon staff as offensive line coach prior to the 2011 season. Fisk came to SOU after a highly successful nine-year run at NCAA Division II University of Mary. He spent the first five years as Mary's offensive line coach and the final four years as offensive coordinator.

During his time as offensive coordinator, Fisk's Mary teams put up huge chunks of yardage and points. In 2007, the Marauders averaged 27.1 points, scored over 30 points five times and ranked 31st in Division II in passing and 46th in total offense.

Fisk played football at Jamestown College and spent some time coaching high school football before joining the Mary staff in 2002. While at Jamestown College, Fisk helped lead the Jimmies win conference titles in 1996 and 1997.